Día de los Muertos
by Shout Diva
Summary: [AU]Lilian doesn't much care for the holiday of Halloween. But when a new guy arrives and strange things begin to happen, it might just change her mind. [Lilian Victoria Mickie Masters Kenny London Kane]
1. Chapter 1

**Yay for AU, Halloween stories! This should've been up sooner, but...I'm lazy. I'm home sick from school today, and I got bored. I finally decided to quit being lazy and to get this idea out of my head! I'm surprised there aren't as many Halloween stories here... Myeh. Here be-eth mine! I disclaim everyone in this story. (Howeva, if I could own Paul London for one night, hoo lawd! There's no telling what I'd do with his soft, shiny, silky hair.) Enjoy!**

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October is a month of mystery. The days get shorter, night comes quicker and the air becomes cooler. Halloween comes once year, and when October hits, the holiday is just around the corner, especially for a town like Auburn, Maine. Halloween is the one day of the year when spirits from the past are able to make themselves known, or so they say it's the only day. 

In a cozy, two-bedroom house located a few blocks past the downtown square, lives Lilian Garcia. At 33 years old, she has yet to marry and usually tends to stay away from relationships completely. She's perfectly content staying at home on Friday nights with her Doberman, Reina. Lilian owns the local coffee shop, Cornerstone Café.

One of her best friends, Mickie James, works at the café as well. Mickie lives with her boyfriend of several years, Ken Doane. They're joined at the hip and it pains them when they can't be together or communicate. The town recognizes the relationship and rumors have started that there is a betting pool at Town Hall on when Ken will propose.

Lisa Varon is the third of this close-knitted triangle of best friendship. She owns a bookstore that's catty-cornered from Lilian's coffeehouse. Lisa is engaged to Chris Mordetsky. The couple isn't as sugary and sweet as Ken and Mickie; they have their fights and problems just like the majority of people.

Originally, the three girls would get together on a Saturday evening for a girl's night. But then Mickie found Ken and they became inseparable. Lisa began bringing Chris as well, leaving Lilian without anyone. Mickie and Lisa got together, deciding their close friend needed someone in her life. They went to Ken and Chris who gladly introduced Paul London into the equation.

Paul went to high school with Ken and met Chris while playing on a sponsored Rugby team. Anyone that asks either Paul or Lilian would get the same answer, "We're only friends." And for the most part, it's true. They flirt, just like most people do when members of the opposite sex are around, but nothing relationship wise has come from it, and they're both okay with that.

Now that October has arrived in the quiet town, festivities are beginning. The students at school start to get restless. Everything changes. Decorations are put up downtown, making the square a colorful block of oranges, reds and yellows. Nearly every house, every shop and every building is somehow decorated to get ready for Halloween. Even the trees want to take part with their ever changing leaves.

Cornerstone Café is one shop that vibrantly celebrates Halloween. Though the shop may look and feel like it's full of Halloween fun, it doesn't mean everyone inside believes. Coming from a Hispanic background, being half Puerto Rican and half Spanish, it should be a given that Lilian would go absolutely crazy for the holiday. Her native countries may not celebrate Día de los Muertos, but Halloween is a rich part of the Hispanic culture.

Two days before Halloween, Lilian arrived at her café, Reina following obediently. The dog had been coming to the shop since the day Lilian got her. The Doberman even had her own little corner behind the main counter.

"It's just you and me today, Reinita," Lilian told her pet, unlocking the front door. Mickie had asked for this day off a month in advance being that it was her and Ken's third anniversary.

The red and tan dog brushed past her owner, behind the counter and to her normal spot. Lilian had a tendency to drop crumbs of pastries, and Reina kept a close watch.

Lilian shook her head and flipped on the overhead lights. "It's a wonder you aren't over 200 pounds now, you big hog."

* * *

After the machines had warmed up and the chairs pulled down from the tables, Lilian opened up the store. The flow was steady as people came to get their morning cups of coffee or cappuccinos. She knew a lot of them by name, and just about all of their faces. But she didn't know his.

"Good morning, what can I get for you?" she asked, smiling as usual but her eyes scanned the man in front of her.

He was tall, way taller than she was. He was muscular too; she could practically see the seams of his polo stretching against the hard tendons underneath. But his face was soft compared to the rest of his features, almost boyish in appearance.

"I'd like a cup of cortado, with a little bit of milk."

Lilian stared at him. _He drinks Spanish coffee? _she asked herself. "Cortado?" she repeated.

He nodded, smiling. "Yes, please. Unless you don't serve it here, which is understandable."

"No, no I have it. Not many people ask me for it though." She gave him a crooked smile and went to fix him a cup. "Are you new here? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Yes, I just moved here last week. I live a couple miles away from the public library. I'm a new teacher at the high school, one of the counselors recommended your coffee shop." He smiled as she walked back to him with a cup in her hand. "I'm Glen Jacobs."

She handed him the cup. "It's very nice to meet you, I'm Lilian Garcia. I own this place." She laughed carelessly, and shook her head when he offered her money. "Don't worry about it, consider it a welcoming gift."

"Thank you." Someone behind him unceremoniously cleared their throat. "I better get going. Thanks for the coffee."

"Sure, no problem."

For the rest of the morning, she finished getting various coffees and pastries for customers who she would make small talk with. Lilian closed the shop everyday at 11 in the morning and reopened at 8 in the evening, closing for good whenever there wasn't anyone left.

After she closed for the day, Lisa came over on her lunch break. She slipped Reina a treat like usual and sat down at one of the tables.

"What're you up to, chica?"

Lilian came around the counter, carrying two plates that had a sandwich and soup on them. "Not a lot, just trying to keep this place in order."

"Is it that bad without Mickie?" Lisa asked, picking up her spoon and scooping up some of the soup.

"No, not really," Lilian answered. "It goes by a little slower, but it's not like I'm swamped." She laughed softly and took a bite from the sandwich.

"Are we still on for tonight?"

"Oh damn!" Lilian put down her sandwich and jumped up to retrieve her purse. "I completely forgot to call Paul and tell him." She came back to the table, sitting down with her cell phone in hand.

Lisa rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Lilian stuck her tongue out at her friend and waited for the voicemail to pick up. "Hey Paul, it's Lil, uh, I kind of forgot to tell you, but we're all going out tonight to go see a movie and then hang out at Mickie and Ken's house for a bit. Call me when you get this and I'll let you know times and stuff. Bye." She hung up her phone and put it on the table, groaning. "I can't believe I forgot."

"Lil, it's not like you forgot to tell him he's going to die in 24 hours."

"I know, so what are we seeing tonight?"

"Mickie rented The Omen," Lisa answered, finishing her soup and starting on the sandwich.

"Oh, no theaters?"

"Nah, nothing good is playing. At least that's what Chris says, so who knows."

"Sounds good to me. Reina can come right?" At the sound of her name, the dog picked her head up, ears forward.

Lisa chuckled. "Yes, your damn dog can come, just like every other time she comes. I think Paul feels lonely. You should show him half as much affection as you show that dog and he'd be in heaven."

"Oh please, we're just friends!"

They finished lunch and sat back in their chairs. Lisa didn't have to return back to the bookstore for another half an hour.

"Hey, have you heard anything about a new teacher being hired at the high school?"

Lisa shook her head. "I don't think so. But you know me, I don't read the newspaper or stay involved. Why?"

"One of the new teachers, I guess, he came in today. He got a cortado. It was weird."

Lisa arched a raven colored eyebrow. "What's weird about that? You sell coffee; don't you think people should get coffee here?"

"Well, yes, but not that kind!"

"Oh no, here we go again. Are you going through another selfish phase? You have to share," she joked.

"I'm being serious, Lisa. The only other person, besides me, that has ever ordered that was Paul when I told him about my dad."

"Look," Lisa started, gathering up the dishes, "It's a Spanish coffee, so what? You said the guy was new, maybe he's from Spain. Or maybe he's one of those nerds that reads constantly and read about that coffee and decided to try it. Did you by chance tell him where my store is at?"

"Give it up," Lilian joked, standing with the dishes in hand. "I'm not going to advertise your store to all my customers. Next thing you know, you'll get a café in there and steal all my loyal customers!"

Later that night, the coffee shop was going slow, so Lilian decided to close early. She and Reina arrived at Mickie and Ken's house shortly after 9. Everyone was already there and they were about to start the movie. Lilian sat next to Paul on the two-seated couch, Reina lying under her on the floor.

When the movie mercifully ended, Lilian stood up, not at all surprised to see Mickie buried in Ken's shoulder. "It wasn't even that scary."

"Was too!" the brunette said, pouting. "Now I'm going to have nightmares. Who the hell picked this?"

"You did," they all said at once.

Lisa and Chris picked up the empty glasses and bowls with popcorn kernels remaining. "I'll admit, Mick, that movie did freak me out," Lisa said from the kitchen.

"See, I'm not the only one," Mickie said, sticking out her tongue.

Ken wrapped his arms around her protectively. "Don't worry, I won't let anything get you. Especially a 6 year old boy," he added jokingly.

Chris came back in the living room, holding Lisa's hand. "Well, we're going to go. Thank you for having us. Mickie, I hope you aren't too scared. Remember, it was just a movie." He smiled kindly and grabbed their coats, handing Lisa hers.

"Don't listen to him," Lisa said. "You'll be fine." She hugged her friends goodbye and then pulled her coat on, leaving out the front door with Chris.

"What do you want us to help you with?" Paul offered.

"Not a thing," Ken answered, getting to his feet. "Why don't you and Lilian," –he got a nasty look thrown his way- "go and do whatever?"

"I'd love to," Lilian started, "But I would really love to go to bed. Today was exhausting."

"Sorry," Mickie said shyly.

Lilian giggled and hugged her. "No, it's fine. You can take days off anytime you want." Sensing her friend was about to say something smart, she added, "Within reason." She smiled and reached for her coat, calling for Reina. "I'll see you two later, and I'll see you," she looked at Mickie, "Bright and early."

Lilian pulled into her driveway shortly thereafter. She put the key to her house inside the lock, turning it. Looking down at her dog, she noticed that the hair on her back had risen and she was growling softly. "What's your problem?"

Shrugging, she pushed the door open and flipped on the light. A slight scream escaped her mouth. Her house had been completely ransacked. Pictures had been torn from the walls and smashed to the floor. She walked a bit further into the house, peaking into the living room. The backdoor had been kicked in. Lilian ran for the phone in the kitchen, dialing 911 as fast as her fingers could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy bananas, 8 reviews?! Y'all are fucking awesome! Yes, fucking - this is the time when a word like that is appropriate! LMFAO Wow. I feel loved! Hehe. Sorry this took so long to get up. I apologize. And this is a short chapter, so I apologize for that too. In any event, (...darn it JR! Rubbin' off on me) enjoy! **

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The police arrived shortly after her call and checked for any sort of clues as to who did it. After Lilian reassured them she'd be fine, the police officers left.

She called Mickie first thing to tell her what happened and ask if Mickie could run the store alone in the morning. Mickie agreed with hesitation, just like any friend would. Next, Lilian called Lisa to tell her. She offered to come stay with Lilian for the night, but the little blonde denied it.

"I'll be fine," she said. "I promise. I've got Reina here with me, the neighbors know what happened and they'll keep a look out too."

Lilian spent the next morning and afternoon cleaning up her house. Clothes were thrown everywhere. And what really bothered her was that the drawer in her dresser containing all of her personal things had been messed with. Garments of lingerie, that she never wore, but were gag gifts from Mickie and Lisa, had been unfolded and strewn about.

One item had been stolen. Lilian had a Glock Model 38 pistol. The small handgun she kept in her closet for protection was gone. In its place was a typed note on a small index card that read, "Killed by your own gun. Now won't that be fun?" It was written like poetry; a sick piece of poetry. The police had finger printed the card, and nothing came up.

Lilian ate a small lunch. Her stomach was tossing and turning, but she needed to eat something. By 4 that afternoon, she finally had her house back in order. She pulled on her jacket and went out to take Reina for a walk.

The two ended up at a nearby park that they often visited on warm days. Lilian sat down in a sunny patch of grass, letting the mild sun warm her face. Reina lay obediently next to her, resting her head on Lilian's thigh.

"What are we going to do, Reinita?" she asked her pet. Reina just looked up at her with her friendly brown eyes. Lilian smiled, stroking Reina's soft coat.

The Doberman jerked her head around. Lilian quickly followed the gaze, breathing a sigh of relief. Today he had on a pair of jeans and black leather jacket over a gray t-shirt with some basketball team across the front.

"May I join you?" His voice was soft.

"Sure, Glen," she answered, smiling. "And who's this?" Lilian nodded toward the German Shepard that sat next to Glen.

"This is Tico," Glen answered.

Lilian laughed. "Tico? For a German Shepard?" She emphasized the word German.

"Hey, you named a Doberman Queen."

The blonde looked at him. "Where are you from?" she asked, almost snapped.

"I was born and raised in Madrid, Spain." When her jaw dropped, he continued. "I know, I don't look Spanish," he chuckled. "My parents Honeymooned there and they loved the place, so they just moved there. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You lived in Madrid?"

He nodded. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Lilian shook her head. "No, not at all. It's just really a coincidence. I lived in Madrid for 8 years. My dad was in the military."

"Really?" He sounded impressed. "So you're Spanish?"

"Half. I'm half Spanish and half Puerto Rican."

"Oh, so that's why you gave me a deer in the headlights look yesterday when I asked for a cortado."

She laughed again. "So you noticed then."

"Yeah, it was kind of hard to miss."

"Sorry about that, I was just confused that someone other than me drank the stuff."

"Don't worry about it," Glen replied.

"So how does your dog like being named Tico?" she teased.

"Oh, he loves it! I basically trained him in Spanish. He knows the English too, but I like to show off and tell him stuff in another language."

Lilian laughed, gently rubbing the dog's head, much to Reina's disapproval. "Sientate." Tico sat down, looking at her. She looked at Glen, thinking of another command. "Da una vuelta." The German Shepard turned around once.

Glen chuckled at the look she had on her face. He watched her get up and walk over to a tree. Reina stayed in her place, watching.

"Tico," she called, "Vienes aquí." The dog pranced over to her. She shook her head in disbelief and returned to her original spot, smiling. "That's pretty impressive."

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling as well.

"Why'd you move to Maine?"

"I used to live in Tennessee," he explained.

"No way! That's where my sister lives," she interrupted. "Sorry, go ahead."

He laughed. "Well, I lived there and taught English and coached basketball. Then I was offered the position here. The money was a lot better, so I took it. What about you? Why a place like Maine?"

"I don't know actually. I lived in South Carolina when my dad wasn't being stationed elsewhere. I guess…well, I don't know. I don't have a concrete answer for you." Lilian picked at some of the blades of grass next to her. "Why aren't you teaching right now?"

"School let out about an hour ago, Lilian," he answered kindly. "As much as I love my job, today was a Monday. How was the coffee shop? I didn't see you in there this morning."

"I didn't work," she said slowly.

Glen shook his head, confused. "Why not? Do you and the other girl trade off?"

"No, Mickie asked for yesterday off because it was her anniversary with her boyfriend. I didn't work today because my house was broken into last night." Her words came out rushed.

"That was your house in the paper?"

She groaned. Lilian figured the newspaper would jump all over something like this. Crime was low in Maine. "Yes, that was me."

"I'm really sorry," he sincerely said.

"It's okay, I just hope the police can catch who did it."

"Did they steal anything?"

"No," she lied, not wanting to explain all of that. "They just turned my house upside down. But, I don't really want to talk about it, if that's okay."

"Sure, I'm sorry for questioning it."

She quickly changed the subject. "What do you like to do when you aren't teaching?"

He thought for a minute. "I'd say work out and play basketball, but you've probably figured that out. I really enjoy writing."

"What do you write?"

"Poetry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Damn. Y'all rule. Thank you all so much for your reviews! I apologize for taking a week to update. I'm on Thanksgiving break so expect at least 1 or 2 more chapters before I have to go back to school. Thanks again for all your reviews! They really mean a lot. **

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When Lilian got home, her head was spinning. So much had happened in the last 24 hours and she was having trouble digesting it all.

It was daylight still, but Reina had begun to growl again, putting Lilian's nerves on edge. With a deep breath, she pushed open her door and stepped inside her house, half expecting someone to jump out with a gun in her face. Everything looked calm and a slow sigh blew past her lips. However, the Doberman continued to bare her teeth, the hair on the back of her back raised slightly.

The pair walked further into the house. Lilian nearly fell backwards at what was in front of her. The back door had been kicked in again. This time, nothing seemed to be out of place, or even touched. She ran for the front door and grabbed the baseball bat that she had never bothered to put away after the final community soft ball game. Bat arched above her head, she went for the phone next, quickly dialing 911.

The police checked over her house for a second time. Some of her pictures had been moved. The photos with her in them had her cut out jaggedly. In each of the places where she should have been, whoever it was had placed ripped pieces of paper that had something written on them. Lilian was too scared to take the paper out and try to read what it said. She willingly let the police officers take the pieces in for testing and whatever else they wanted to do with it.

When they left, Lilian went to call her friends. Lisa, Chris and Paul all agreed to come over and comfort her. Mickie had to stay with Kenny who had fallen ill with the flu.

The doorbell rang minutes later. Lilian looked out the window, feeling stupid. _Get a grip. _She opened the door, a wave of relief washing over her when she saw Lisa carrying a brown paper bag with food tucked inside. Chris and Paul followed behind her.

They all gathered in the kitchen while Lisa unpacked the bag. Lilian started to say something when Reina began her growling again. The brick colored fur on the dog's back started rising again. Two rows of sharp, white teeth flashed followed by barking.

Lilian stared bewildered at her dog. She reached down, grabbing her collar and pulling the dog back. "Hey, knock it off! You know Paul and Chris, and you definitely know Lisa." She bent down to a crouching position, her hands smoothing over the soft fur. In a softer voice she said, "If I'm not this paranoid, then you don't need to be either."

But still, the dog carried on. Lilian sighed and put her in the backyard, walking back to the kitchen feeling embarrassed.

"I'm really sorry. I don't know who's more shaken up about all of this." Lilian smiled slightly and looked over to her counter that was now covered in various foods. "Lisa, you really didn't have to do this."

"I know that, but I thought it'd make you feel better."

"And she claims I don't like her cooking like you do, Lil," Chris joked, getting a smile from the blonde.

Lilian turned her attention to Paul. He threw his arms up. "She doesn't trust me with an oven."

Lisa prepared chicken fettuccine alfredo with a Caesar salad. Chris sat the table while Lilian took Paul to show him what all had been done to her house.

Her voice cracked when she pulled out the index card with the two lines scribbled on it. The raven haired man frowned as her eyes filled with tears. Reaching out, he pulled her into him and let her cry.

Lilian clung to him like her life depended on it. She hadn't actually let any emotions out, save for the fear that would occasionally rear its ugly head.

"You're going to be okay," he said softly when her breathing had slowed. Paul cupped her face, swiping the tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

She shook her head. "Don't say that. You don't know that for sure."

"Would you like to stay with me until the cops catch this bastard?"

"No, I don't want to bring you into this. I'll be fine," she answered boldly.

He went to protest but knew better than to argue with her. He dropped a kiss on her forehead and they returned to the kitchen where Lisa was placing the salad dressing down in the center of the table.

Halfway through dinner, her phone rang. Lilian jumped from her seat, her nerves still shaky. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the looks of concern from her friends and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Ms. Garcia. This is Detective Lashley."

"Good evening."

"We got the results back on the paper that was left in your picture frames."

She swallowed the large lump of fear in her throat and leaned against the counter to keep her balance. "Do you know who it is?"

"I'm afraid not. But it is the same person. The handwriting was the same and so is the card it was written on. It's also in that same poetic form. Would you like to hear what it says?"

"No," she answered quickly. "No thank you."

"Alright, I understand." She could tell from his voice that he did. "We would like for you to have a 24 hour watch."

"What?"

"The gist of this is saying that tomorrow this person is going to hurt you."

Tomorrow was Halloween she mentally realized. "I don't think I need any sort of protection, sir."

"It would really be best though," the officer replied.

"I'm sure it would," Lilian said nicely. "But I really think I'll be okay. If I feel threatened, I still have the number you gave me and I will use it."

"We can't force any sort of means of protection on you, but like you said, you have my number and you can use that at anytime, day or night."

"Thank you," she answered before hanging up. She slowly sank back into her chair, fully aware of her friends looking at her.

Paul placed his hand on her back while she buried her face in her hands. When she looked up, Lisa noticed something in her friend's green eyes that she had never seen. That stubborn, take no prisoner Latina look was cracking with fear.

Lisa stood up and went around to hug Lilian. "Why don't you stay with Chris and I tonight?"

"No, I'm not going to let whoever this is ruin my life," the blonde said. "I will be fine, if I need anything, I'll call you."

* * *

The next morning, Lilian woke up early with the phone ringing in her ear. Groaning, she rolled over, meeting Reina's sleeping form freshly awoken by the phone as well. She kissed the dog's nose and reached over to grab the phone on her night stand.

"Hello?"

"Lilian!" It was Lisa.

"What?" Today was Halloween. _Joy, _Lilian thought.

"Lil, it's Paul." It sounded a little like Lisa had been crying, but Lilian couldn't tell since she was still trying to wake up. She looked over at the digital clock that read 4:56. She had to get up in 4 minutes anyway.

"What about him?" she asked, yawning.

"He…he um…He was killed in the middle of the night, Lilian."


	4. Chapter 4

**Please excuse the coming tirade, BUT DAMN IT! I've had this thing done since SUNDAY!! And I'm just now getting to post it. GRRRRR!!! Anyways:-) thank you all for your reviews, again! Enjoy!**

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Lilian jumped out of bed after hanging up with Lisa. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt. She brushed her teeth and then pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Grabbing her keys off the kitchen counter, she started to head out the front door, Reina following.

Lilian stopped and turned towards her dog. "You have to stay. You have to watch the house in case that bastard decides to come back, okay?" She crouched down and softly ran her hands over the dog's coat. "I'll be back soon, Reinita."

She grabbed her jacket and put it on as she ran towards her car. The scene at Paul's house was a mess. There were police cars everywhere and a lot of the neighborhood was standing in their front yard, trying to find out what was going on. She got out of her car and spotted Detective Lashley, after all he wasn't that hard to miss.

He pulled her to the side. "You got here fast."

Lilian shrugged. "I guess so. What happened?" she asked eagerly.

"It's the same person," the officer answered. "They used your gun to do it."

The blonde froze. The numbness was beginning to settle in. After a moment she asked, "Did they leave anything to possibly help track him or something?"

"I'm afraid not. They did leave another one of those twisted poems though on the same index card." Bobby Lashley paused. "Did anything happen at your house last night?"

She shook her head, "Nothing." And then to herself, "Why would anyone want to kill Paul?"

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We'll call you as soon as we find any information, alright?"

She nodded and left, heading for the park. She walked over to one of the benches, taking a seat. A couple runners jogged past her, not noticing the deep look of thought etched on her face.

"If it isn't Ms. Garcia."

Lilian jerked her head up, all thoughts vanishing. "Glen."

"Good morning," he greeted with a smile. Tico danced up behind him, panting.

"Hi," she said blandly. Her eyes looked him over. He had on a grey hoodie with his hands inside the front pocket. His bottom half was clad in a pair of black sweatpants and he looked as though he'd been one of the people running the cement trail around the park.

Glen frowned at the sorrowed look she wore. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him again. "You can sit down."

He did and then turned to face her. "Is someone still messing with you? Did they break in again?" he asked, hesitantly.

She brushed a stray hair out of her eyes. "Look, Glen, I appreciate you caring enough to ask, but I would rather not discuss this with you." There was a long silence that followed. Her fingers toyed with the zipper on her jacket. "I'm sorry, that sounded really rude." She sighed and looked around the park. "I'm just really stressed out right now and I'm not sure what to think."

"No, you didn't sound rude. I would tell you that I understand, but I don't. I'm not exactly sure about what you're going through, but I'd be willing to bet I've never had to deal with it."

The sun finished it's ascent from the horizon and began to warm everything beneath it. Lilian took her jacket off. She was a warm blooded person to begin with, and high amounts of stress usually made it worse.

Tico pushed his nose under her arms, working his way to her hands. She smiled and smoothed over the dog's fur. "The person doing this shot one of my very close friends," she explained slowly.

"Mickie? The one at the coffee shop?"

"No, Paul London, he was an accountant at the bank."

"I'm very sorry," he said sincerely. His hands pulled out of the front pocket, bringing with them a set of index cards. He went to lay his hand on her arm, but she jumped off the bench.

"I have to go," she said, making it sound like one word. Lilian walked back to her car, sitting down in the driver's seat, shaking.

Back at the bench, Glen's brow furrowed. Tico cocked his head at him. The man shrugged and stood up, noticing Lilian's jacket. He picked it up and searched around for her car, but realized he didn't know what she drove. He decided to run it by the coffeehouse that evening when it reopened. But now he had to get back home so he could clean up and get ready for the school day.

Lilian took several deep breaths, trying to relax herself. She looked for her phone. Her mind had made itself up, she was going to call Detective Lashley and tell him about Glen. Instead, her eyes landed on the clock on her stereo. "Fuck," she muttered. The digital numbers read 7:44.

A few minutes later, Lilian flew into the café. The place was fairly empty, just like she thought. Rush was between 6:30 to 7:30.

"So nice of you to show up," Mickie quipped.

"I am so sorry Mickie! I know you've had to do this two mornings in a row now," Lilian said, biting her lower lip.

The brunette shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I know you've had to deal with a lot of shit lately."

"And now Paul," she muttered.

"What about him?" Mickie asked, rinsing out the lid to the blender.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Lilian raised an eyebrow and checked behind her to make sure nobody was close enough to hear. "Whoever has been breaking into my house lately shot Paul last night with my gun."

Mickie didn't say a word. She put down the towel and walked over to her friend, hugging her tightly.

Lilian accepted it, returning the embrace. "I think I know who it is," she whispered.

"Who?" Mickie asked, pulling back.

"Remember a couple nights ago when we all went to your house to watch that movie and I was telling you all about the new guy that moved her? The English teacher up at the high school?"

Mickie nodded. "Yeah, I remember. He came in yesterday morning and asked about you."

"Figures."

"Oh, Lil, c'mon. That man was a sweetheart; you can't honestly think it was him."

"Just hear me out, okay?" Someone stood from their chair and walked out the door, smiling at the girls. They both returned the smiles and then went back to their conversation.

"Let's hear it, you crazy nut."

"Okay, he writes poetry."

"So what? He's an English teacher!"

"No, Mick, you aren't thinking! The person that broke into my house, and now…what he did to Paul, he left pieces of this morbid poetry on these little index cards."

Mickie still wasn't convinced. "I don't think you're going to nail Glen with just that."

"Okay, well, how about the fact that he was carrying the index cards this morning?"

"You saw him this morning?"

"After I got done at Paul's, I went to the park to think," Lilian explained. "Glen was there running and he sat down with me. I sort of explained what had been going on and he pulled his hands out of the pocket in his sweatshirt and the same exact cards fell out."

Mickie thought it over. "I don't know, Lil. He's an English teacher, like I've said only a million times. Of course he writes poetry, and he probably keeps some of those weird quotes on those cards, like from Shakespeare or something. I don't know, I think English teachers have chemical imbalances in their brains and it makes them think funny. Where's Reina?" she randomly asked at the end of her spiel.

"I left her home so she could guard it." She sighed. "I'm going to go get her. I feel bad."

Her friend laughed. "You crack me up with that dog. Go on, I'll be fine, it's slowed down."

Lilian smiled and hugged Mickie once more before going home.

She opened the front door. "Reinita!"

The dog came running to the door, jumping up and placing her paws on Lilian's chest. Lilian noticed some sort of fabric in between the dog's pearly, sharp teeth. Reina didn't have many toys, and none of them were black like the color tucked in her mouth.

Lilian shut the door and went to look for something lying around that was the same color.

The glass from her back door had been smashed and the door was unlocked. It was opened slightly. On the carpet in front of the door were little drops of blood and pieces of tattered black clothing.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't really have anything to say. Well, I do, but...not gonna. :-p Thanks for all of your reviews, again! Enjoy!**

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"I feel like we're dating," Lilian joked with Detective Lashley. "Your number is the most dialed in my phone."

Bobby smiled. "Well, I'm not sure my wife and daughter would like that, but you never know," he teased.

Another officer came through Lilian's front door, carrying a plastic evidence bag. "We've got the carpet with the blood on them. We're taking them to the lab right now."

"Good," Lashley answered.

"How long with the results take?" Lilian asked quickly.

"Anywhere between 12 to 48 hours. It will depend on how fast we can find a match to the DNA."

The blonde nodded, the frown evident on her face.

"You'll be the first person we call," Bobby assured her.

The other police officer smiled kindly at Lilian and then left to his patrol car.

"Lilian, I'd like to take you in for a little bit of questioning about Paul. If you aren't ready to talk about it though, I completely understand."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. Do you mind if I run by my café to get things squared away there?"

"That's fine. I'll see you in an hour then?"

"Sure." Lilian forced a smile and then called Reina over to her car.

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"Where in the hell have you been? Did you live that mutt at the White House?"

"Chill out, Mick. Someone broke into my house again," Lilian explained.

Mickie stared at her, dumbfounded. She had just closed up the café for the afternoon. "You're shittin' me."

"Nope," Lilian answered, taking the sandwich Mickie was offering her. "I've got to go to the police station in a few minutes. Detective Lashley wants to ask me some questions about Paul."

"I thought they said it was the same guy," Mickie said, sitting down across from Lilian.

Lilian shrugged. "I've got no idea what they want to ask. I don't know if I'll make it back for tonight. It's Halloween, I know we'll be swamped and I am so sorry for just leaving you like this."

"Don't worry about it, Lil. I'll get Kenny down here to help me," she said laughing.

"I hope I won't be too long. I'll try to call you and let you know what's going on."

Across town, in a darkened warehouse, someone sat on a rusted chair. In their hands were the torn pictures of Lilian from the pictures that were in her house.

In front of them was a wooden table. Sitting on it was a plastic lighter. A black gloved hand picked up the lighter, flicking the flame to slightly bring light in the dark building. With the other hand, they held one of Lilian's pictures over the flame, watching as the flames engulfed the blonde's smiling face.

As the fire burned each of the jagged pictures into piles of ashes, a slow chuckling filled the abandoned building.

After finishing her lunch with Mickie, Lilian headed over to the police station. Bobby welcomed her into his office to begin the questioning. The questions stopped at around 6 when the pizza Bobby had ordered was delivered.

They engaged in casual talk over the pepperoni pizza. Lilian fed her crust to Reina. At 7, the questions started again.

Several hours later, an exhausted Lilian returned to her car to head back home. She was a little disappointed that the results on the blood hadn't come back yet. The sooner the son of a bitch was caught, the sooner she could get a good night's sleep.

On the outside, she held her hard, protective shield up well. Nobody, not even Mickie or Lisa, could detect the crumbling that was going on inside. It was only a matter of time before she had a breakdown. All it was going to take was a few more break-ins, at the very least. Never mind if another one of her friends was killed, she'd lose it all completely.

Lilian pulled up to her house and sat in the silence for a moment. Reina had started to growl again, and they weren't even out of the car yet.

"It'll be fine. I'm going to go pack some stuff and your food, and we're staying in a hotel until they catch this person, okay?" The Doberman stuck her nose out to touch Lilian's check. Lilian patted the dog's head and got out of the car.

By the time they reached the front door, Reina was barking with her teeth bared. Suddenly Lilian wished she had taken the softball bat and put it in the car with her.

Swallowing, Lilian unlocked the door and pushed it open. Reina ran past her and into the living room where the barking grew more and more vicious.

The blonde closed her eyes, saying a quick prayer and slowly followed her dog. She felt around for the bat, but couldn't find it. M_ust've left it in the living room, _she decided.

Lilian walked into the living room, reaching to turn on the lamp that was on the end table by the couch. She turned it on, and a shrill scream reverberated through the walls of her house. She was looking at her gun, pointed right at her. Reina continued barking, inching closer and closer.

"If you don't shut that fucking dog up, I swear I'm going to blow her God damn head off."

Lilian stood completely frozen with fear. Reina barked. Chris Mordetsky fired.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay folks, this is it! This is the final chapter. Now, I have an alternate ending, but I'm not sure if I want to post it or not. It's kind of the 'negative' ending. LMFAO. I don't know, I'll think about it. Oh, and Hanna, the reason Lilian was going to stay at a hotel was because she didn't want to drag her friends into the big mess. **

**Thank you all SO much for your reviews. They're beyond uber-awesome! **

** I have a brand new story in the works (aka: in my mind.). I hope to get it up soon because I really like it! So until then...Enjoy!  
**

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The bullet blasted right through Lilian's wall, sending debris flying everywhere. Reina ceased her barking, stunned at the loud noise. Lilian still stood completely still, while Chris snarled. 

The following events seemed to take hours in Lilian's eyes, but in reality, it happened in a few split seconds.

Reina lunged at Chris, causing the big man to drop his gun. Lilian, as if pushed, dove for the pistol and quickly got back to her feet. Reina was growling fiercely and keeping Chris still.

Lilian fired her gun, over and over until the barrel clicked empty. Chris slumped against a chair before slinking to the ground, blood pooling around him.

She kept pulling the trigger, backing further and further away until she connected with a solid mass. Screaming, she spun around, continuing to fire the gun until she realized who was standing in front of her.

Glen had her jacket from that morning slung over his elbow. His expression was unreadable in the dark.

Lilian dropped her pistol and nearly collapsed in Glen's arms, sobs racking her body.

Every single bit of stress, anger, anxiety and all other emotions she'd been feeling for the past couple of days finally found their release through her tears. She clung to Glen as though he was the only thing keeping her from losing all sanity. She didn't even pull away when the police came plunging through her front door.

A half hour or so after Lilian had left his office, Bobby received the test results on the blood that had been taken from her carpet. He knew it was Chris Mordetsky and he know that Chris would be striking tonight. Bobby first went to Chris's home where his girlfriend was shocked to see him at her door. Lashley apologized to Lisa for upsetting her. He then realized he had to get to Lilian's. On the way, he called for back up.

Glen easily lifted Lilian into his arms, carrying her outside of her house while the police did their jobs. He got to her house and saw that her front door had been left opened. He also heard Reina barking, and then a gun shot. Without any other hesitations, he ran inside just in time to see Chris jerk backwards with each gun shot.

Bobby wanted to ask Lilian a few questions, but it was obvious that she was in hysterics. Glen promised he'd bring her to the station in the next day or so, after she'd calmed down a bit. But for the time being, he put Lilian in his car and called for Reina, who obediently got into the back seat. As he backed out of her driveway, he turned to ask where she'd like to be taken. He didn't know where Lisa or Mickie lived. But when he turned, Lilian was in a deep sleep.

He couldn't think of anywhere to take her, so he drove back to his house. He laid her down on his bed, covering her with a blanket and then headed off to sleep on the couch.

Lilian woke up the next morning, confused and feeling drained of all energy. She looked around and for the life of her, she didn't know where the hell she was. The bedroom was still a plain eggshell white with various unpacked boxes stacked around. The bed was beyond soft and comfortable. She didn't want to get up; she would have rather slept for as long as possible, but she had to figure out what was going on. And what confused her even more was that Reina was to her side, just like always.

She got up and walked softly to the door. She turned the handle and stepped into the hallway, greeted by the smell of bacon and waffles. At her first step, everything that had happened came flooding back to her brain. The notes, her house being broken into, Paul getting shot, and then herself shooting Chris.

A feeling of sickness overwhelmed her and she doubled over, sinking to the carpet. Reina sat beside her, looking sadly at her owner. Lilian dropped her head and let the tears fall.

Glen put down the fork he was using to put waffles onto a plate when he heard her sobbing. Frowning, he left the kitchen and saw Lilian in the hallway, crying her eyes out. He stooped down next to her, carefully picking her up and carrying her into the living room where he put her down on the couch. He held her to him until she finished crying.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, sniffling.

"For what?" he asked softly, but still a bit incredulous.

"I thought it was you," she answered, nearly in a whisper.

Her words stung him. He'd actually began to have slight feelings for the little blonde. "It's okay, Lilian," he comforted, rubbing her back.

"No, it isn't. I thought you were doing all of that to me." She looked up at him, her green eyes filled with tears. "But no matter how strongly I felt it was you behind it, I never told the police. I didn't even bring you up with Detective Lashley last night. I didn't know why, but now I do." A few tears rolled down her cheeks. "You weren't doing anything to hurt me. You were just trying to help me."

Glen shook his head. "I promise you, it's okay. I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this." Instinctively, he reached out to brush away her tears.

She turned her head slightly so that her cheek could feel more of his hand. "I need to call Lisa."

Glen decided not to argue, even though he thought she should rest. He reached over to the end table by the couch, grabbing the cordless phone and handing it to Lilian.

As the weeks went by, Lilian accepted what happened. She and Lisa became closer than ever. Mickie did everything she could to help her two best friends. The three became even tighter than what they were a month or so ago.

Lisa wasn't angry with Lilian. She was just devastated at what her boyfriend had turned out to be. She would never get over it, who could? But over time, she'd learn to cope with it.

Mickie and Kenny married in December. Lilian and Lisa were the Maids of Honor. Glen was Lilian's date to the wedding.

Glen and Lilian didn't ever give themselves the monikers of boyfriend and girlfriend. Of course, everyone in Auburn knew they were dating.

Lilian couldn't stand to continue to live in her house, not after everything that had happened. Lisa didn't want to stay in hers either. And they definitely weren't going to live with Mickie and Kenny.

The girls bought themselves a house near Mickie and Kenny. It turned out that their house was also close to Glen's. Lisa joked that Lilian didn't even live with her, that she lived with Glen since she was at his house for days on end.

And Reina? Well, she and Tico have gotten along quite well for two very domineering dogs. But the Doberman won't hardly ever leave Lilian's side.


End file.
